Trump to help arming school staff in US

US President Donald Trump administration will aid arming the school staff following the latest case of school shooting that led to killing of 17 people in Florida high school.

Publish date : Monday 12 March 2018 13:28

Code: 317615

US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Sunday that arming school staff is part of a "pragmatic plan to dramatically increase school safety.” But the controversial idea to put weapons in schools has drawn little support from educators.

The Trump administration will also provide technical assistance to states preparing temporary "risk protection orders" that allow for guns to be removed from certain individuals, said Andrew Bremberg, a presidential assistant who heads the Domestic Policy Council at the White House.

The White House is urging Congress to pass legislation that will strengthen background checks for gun buyers and implement violence prevention programs.

The measures come during a reignited national debate on gun violence that was revived by survivors of last month's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student with a semi-automatic rifle gunned down 14 students and three staff.

On Friday, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law a gun control bill that was passed by the state’s legislature. The new law raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21 and extending the waiting period to three days, a dramatic turnaround in one of the most gun-friendly states in America.

The United States loses around 33,000 people to gun violence every year.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has become the focus of a growing movement by activists who are demanding that US politicians stop accepting political donations from the powerful gun lobby.

Trump was endorsed by the NRA in his 2016 presidential election campaign. The president and his fellow Republicans in Congress strongly support Americans’ constitutional right to own guns.